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White Russian War
The White Russian War, '''also known as the '''Ukrainian War of Independence '''or the '''Belarussian War of Independence, was an armed conflict between rebels in Belarus and Ukraine and the Soviet Union. Conflict Driven by patriotic fervor and the belief that if Kazakhstan could secede from Russia, they could, the nations of Belarus and Ukraine rebelled against the Russians on March 2. Josef Voronov of Ukraine and Isaac Ben Zion of Belarus raised independent armies that initially numbered around 1,900 men each. Soviet premier Kiril Romanov was in no position to give up more territory after allowing his Turkestan possessions to gain independence, and dispatched the NNS (New Punishment Forces) forces to the cities of Minsk and Kiev to exterminate all male civilians suspected of treason. 500 people died a day for an entire week, most of them young men under 21 years. The NNS' next target was the wastelands, where they killed all poor civilians in order to "cleanse" the regions. As a symbol of torture in that area, they took several people, rounded them up in busses, and drove them to the Chernobyl area, where the radiation was as much alive as it was in the 1980s. They were tied to posts in the radiation pockets until they burnt to death. Voronov and Ben Zion appealed to Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Romania for support. But the Czech Republic could not participate, as they were in need of supplies for the time being due to the confiscation of their weapons by Russian forces. But the other nations joined in, and created the SW (Force for Liberation). They supplied the partisans with AK-47, SVT-40, PPSH-41, and Mosin-Nagant weapons, which were inexpensive rifles that were easy to manufacture and maintain. The Ukrainian partisans captured the city of Kharkov on March 18 with international aid, albeit mainly only by air support, and they took Dnepropetrovsk on March 21. The Belarusians were much faster in their operations, capturing Bialystok, Brest-Litovsk, Volkovysk, and Kowel in a matter of four days from March 21 to March 25. On March 31, the two armies briefly conjoined at Tarnopol, on the border of Belarus and Ukraine, and proceeded to secure Kiev on April Fools' Day, which is why some newsletters were not believed when the word was spread. Ukraine was declared independent the next day, and the partisans became the "Old Guard", since most were over 28, while the "Young Guard" was recruited out of men and women over 15 but under 28. The armies headed north to Bryansk, which was taken on April 17. Minsk fell on April 20, and Belarus became independent. But it was not before the city of Smolensk was taken by siege on June 12 was the war coming to a close. The war heated up again in July, when on July 4, many Ukrainians and Belarusians burnt Russian flags on national television. It was a profound humiliation for the Russians, so they ordered an offensive. Their armies captured Mozhaisk on July 5 before encircling a Belarusian army at Smolensk and forcing them to surrender, and later executing tons of them, shooting many in the backs of their heads with handguns. The Belarusian Offensive, as it was known, was famed for the wanton killing of surrendering soldiers on the Belarusian side. The partisan movement reconvened and they began taking out Russian convoys, sabotaging planes, blowing up airfields, and cutting electricity lines. The Russians responded with a scorched earth policy, burning everything in their path down to the ground. The city of Minsk was captured on July 14, only ten days after the war started. The SW stepped up their support by a long stretch, deploying ground forces in the cities held by the independence movements. They began a bombingcampaign in Russia as well, bombing the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorod, and Luga. The deadliest bombing was of Irkutsk, in central Russia, where some Romanian bombers killed 938 civilians and soldiers, and the one with the most losses for the bombers was an attempt on Sevastopol, where flak guns and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles took a heavy toll on the SW jets. But the bombing campaign freed up the resistance movements, and they were able to make their own counter-offensive. Ukraine, barely touched by the Russian offensive, aided in the recapture of Minsk on July 28, and the Belarusians did the rest. The SW bombed Moscow again on July 30 to coordinate with the guerrilla recapture of Smolensk, and on August 1, the city of Mozhaisk surrendered without a shot. The two nations of Ukraine and Belarus joined together to form "White Russia", named after Belarus' transliteration. Battles *Battle of Kharkov *Battle of Dnepropetrovsk *Battle of Bialystok *Battle of Brest-Litovsk *Battle of Volkovysk *Battle of Kowel *Battle of Kiev *Battle of Mozhaisk *First Battle of Smolensk *Belarusian Offensive *Battle of Minsk *Bombing of Russia in the White Russian War *Second Battle of Smolensk Category:Wars Category:Rebellions